Technology Services plans 311 operating-hour cut and leans on 'Sunny' chatbot; council members raise access concerns

Councilmembers heard detailed questions Sept. 25 about proposed changes to Denver’s 311 customer service operations after Technology Services said it will shorten 311 phone hours and expand digital tools.

Laura Dunwoody, 3-1-1 director, told the council that 311 will move its evening close from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Oct. 6. She said the department has tracked call volumes and found that the two hours between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. typically represent fewer than 2% of the day’s calls; shifting staff to busier hours will allow the center to handle more calls during peak periods, Dunwoody said.

Dunwoody described several performance metrics the city uses to judge the call center: she said the city has handled roughly 250,000 calls so far this year, that abandoned-call rates are under 5% overall, and that the service’s average speed of answer is typically under two minutes on an average day. She said a satisfaction gauge associated with chatbot interactions was around 89% in a recent month, and that callers who encounter a chatbot “brick wall” can request a message to a live 311 agent and receive a telephone callback.

Councilmember Candi Alvidrez said she has received complaints from older and non-English-speaking constituents who find the Sunny chatbot difficult to use or who are directed back to a telephone contact. “I am concerned about 311, and the Sunny chatbot,” Alvidrez said. “I have been getting complaints from my constituents, older people, non English speakers that are not really understanding the chatbot or the chatbot doesn't respond right or the chatbot tells them to call.”

Technology Services staff said the chatbot supports many languages — Dunwoody cited recent interactions in languages including Finnish, Korean, Spanish and Tagalog — and that the chatbot is designed to improve through continued training and by improving the underlying content on denvergov.org.

Councilmember Kevin Flynn raised concerns about residents who lack internet or email and rely on phone or mailed materials. “There are still people out there like that,” Flynn said, describing a constituent who uses a landline and needs paper documents. Dunwoody and other staff said they track call volumes by hour and will use data to avoid service gaps; they emphasized that live-agent callbacks remain available and that the proposed shorter hours will be applied to low-volume evening periods.

Several councilmembers asked Technology Services to continue outreach about the change and to monitor equity impacts closely. Staff said they will provide further metrics and suggested follow-ups with council offices to address district-specific needs.

Ending: Technology Services said the revised hours aim to reduce abandoned calls during peak daytime periods by reallocating staff; councilmembers requested continued monitoring and further details on equity impacts for older adults and residents with limited digital access.